University to Close at 5 p.m. Tuesday (March 3)

The University will close at 5 p.m. today (Tuesday, March 3). All evening classes
scheduled to start at, or after, 5 p.m. are canceled. Food service will be open until
8 p.m. in Connecticut Hall, and until midnight in the Adanti Student Center.

Objectives

OBJECTIVES OF THE CENTER IN RELATION TO THE UNIVERSITY'S MISSION

The Center's activities and initiatives are consistent with the stated goals of the
mission of the SCSU School of Arts and Sciences. Two of the stated goals are to increase
opportunities for faculty to participate in scholarly/creative activities and to increase
collaborations among faculty from different departments/disciplines.

The Center provides a means for faculty and students from across departments/disciplines
to participate in collaborative/ interdisciplinary research projects.

WCCMS PROMOTES CROSS-DISCIPLINARY COLLABORATIONCurrently, faculty and students interested in coastal marine research and education
are isolated in various departments with little interaction. Existing programs within
the departments are currently not encouraged to collaborate on research and pedagogical
issues. There currently is no formal structure that encourages or facilitates interdisciplinary
collaboration among faculty and students at SCSU.

WCCMS PROVIDES UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIESThere is a need to establish a culture of research for undergraduate students at SCSU,
consistent with the university's goal of regional preeminence. The best way for undergraduate
students to understand science is through their involvement in research - learning
science by doing science. This approach is consistent with the School of Arts and
Sciences mission to explore methods to engage students in independent scholarship
in conjunction with faculty guidance.

WCCMS DEVELOPS SHARED RESOURCESCoastal marine science is a resource-intensive enterprise and a mechanism to allow
sharing of resources (e.g., ship time, specialized instrumentation) is necessary.
Collaboration among faculty from different departments increases faculty and student
access to resources and equipment that would be difficult for a single department
to amass. As a result, the Center will provide a model for the development of shared
resources and cooperation across disciplinary lines.

WCCMS SUPPORTS STATE-OF-THE-ART MODELS FOR SCIENCE EDUCATIONPursuant to the SCSU goal of regional preeminence, the Center will also promote the
incorporation of state-of-the-art models for science education, consistent with the
guidelines published by the National Research Council and the Association of American
Colleges and Universities' Science for Civic Engagement initiative, by developing
hands-on, field-based activities for new and existing curricula. Such curricula will
be not only aid in the effective teaching of science, but will allow the students
to develop well-informed and critical perspectives on issues of societal significance.

WCCMS SEEKS EXTERNAL SOURCES FOR SUPPORTA final way in which the proposed Center is consistent with the University's mission
is by being entrepreneurial. The Center seeks to expand facilities and resources through
external funding via grant writing and collaboration with the Office of Institutional
Advancement.